Energy bars are a terrific option for athletes – or anyone – looking for a quick source of protein, complex carbohydrates, and vitamins & minerals. Conveniently packaged and easy to throw in a gym or golf bag – or briefcase, for that matter – they’re a quick source of energy for athletes, students, or harried, on-the-go executives. Homemade energy bars offer all these benefits plus will save you money, andthey aresurprisingly easy to make!!

Before we get to the actual recipe, a few general comments on energy bars:

Most commercially available energy bars – Clif Bars, Power Bars, and the like – cost around a dollar each. Our local Wal-Mart sells Clif Bars for $.89 each, and based on my experience, that’s a really good price. If you make your own you’ll not only enjoy great tasting bars & know exactly what went into them, you’ll enjoy substantial savings versus these prices!

Most energy bars contain around 220 calories. If you maintain an active lifestyle or are an athlete, eating an energy bar is perfectly fine because you need to maintain your caloric intake given your high level of physical activity.

For anyone who is less active, energy bars are a good option especially if the alternative is junk food, a candy bar, or the fatty, cholesterol-laden hot breakfast buffet at your hotel. Just bear in mind that the calories will add up if you eat several per day! I’ll provide a concise nutritional breakdown for the bars you can make yourself in just a moment.

That disclaimer issued, let’s look at how you can create tasty energy bars with little effort and less than 45 minutes.

1 cup chopped dates (you can use dried cranberries, raisins, and chopped nuts, if you prefer)

1-1/2 bananas, mashed

Here’s a photo of the ingredients I typically use:

Other

cookie sheets

non-stick spray (see video below)

large mixing bowl

Extremely complicated directions:

Thoroughly mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl

Mix all wet ingredients in another bowl

Add the wet stuff to the dry stuff and mix together thoroughly

Put spoonfuls on a cookie sheet that you’ve sprayed with non-stick spray, and form into bars (I use a plain table knife for doing this.) Spreading the spoonfuls out a bit as you put them on the paper makes this much easier.

5.31.09 edit: surely one of the more bizarre videos ever put on YouTube, here’s a 1:18 video of how I form the bars; note that I am baking them on cookie sheets which have been sprayed with non-stick spray:

Bake at 325°F for approximately 15 minutes or until the bottoms of your bars are golden brown

When they’re done, take them out of the oven and let them cool. (NOTE: the bars will be a bit soft when you remove them from the oven; when they cool they’ll firm up.)

Here’s a picture of the bars before going into the oven (these pics were taken before I switched from waxed paper to non-stick spray; both techniques work just fine but the spray is a bit easier):

…and after:

As you can see, this recipe made 11 fairly large bars. I certainly could have opted to make them smaller. Total cost per bar (I’ll spare you the detailed calculations) works out to about $ .66 each, primarily because I used a relatively small (read: expensive per scoop) container of protein powder. If I were to buy a 5 lb. container, the cost per bar drops to about $ .45 – half the cost of the best price I’ve seen for Clif bars!

Nutritional Breakdown:

280 calories

total fat: 1.9g

saturated fat: .5g

cholesterol: 10.2mg

protein: 13g

carbohydrates: 53.2g

Note that this is approximate as the size of the bars can (obviously) vary a bit, and is based on the recipe yielding only 12 bars. At that yield, the bars are akin to a supersized Clif bar.

How does this nutritional profile compare to commercially available energy bars?

Homemade

Clif Bar

Power Bar

Gatorade Bar

4 Fig Newtons

Calories

280

240

230

260

220

Protein

13g

10g

10g

8g

2g

Carbohydrates

53g

44g

45g

46g

44g

As you can see, the homemade bars compare very favorably to the commercially available alternatives… and they taste great and are less expensive! Also, keep in mind that these bars are considerably larger than the store bought bars, so it’s a bit of an apples and oranges comparison… keep reading for a more relevant comparison.

If the recipe yielded 16 bars, the nutritional breakdown is:

210 calories

total fat: 1.4g

saturated fat: .3g

cholesterol: 7.6mg

protein: 9.7g

carbohydrates: 40g

This is certainly a fairer comparison. At this (16 per batch) yield, the homemade bars offer lower calories, more protein, and lower carbs than the commercially available bars! (All nutritional information is based on the data on product packages and where that isn’t available, from nutritiondata.com)

Try it – you’ll like it!

Making these energy bars could not be much easier – measuring and mixing the ingredients takes about 5-7 minutes maximum, forming them into bars (or whatever shape you prefer) takes about another 10 minutes, and they bake in around 15 minutes. You certainly can double the batch to make 20-32 bars.

Store them in Ziploc bags or in an airtight container, and they’ll keep for about 2 weeks at room temperature… if they last that long!!

Email me or comment if you have questions, or if you have your own energy bar recipe.

I should mention that if you are making significant changes to your diet, please seek the advice of your physician or a qualified nutritionist.

Enjoy!!

8.9.08 Edit: Here’s a picture of a batch that I made this afternoon. I didn’t have any bananas, so I used 3 egg whites and a little extra juice, a combination of chopped dates and craisins, and made 16 bars. These are a bit larger than most commercially available bars. One of the fun aspects of making your own bars is that you can improvise a bit:

8.19.08 Edit: For more tips and suggestions on making your own energy bars, click on this link to see a brief follow-up post.

5.30.09 Edit: I’ve added a 4×6 recipe card to the FREE Downloads page; just download it (it’s a Word document), print and add to your recipe box. Thanks for being here and reading this; please consider subscribing if you don’t already!

Thank you very much for this post! I was curious to know if you have any recipe which does not call for perishables and does not require an oven for processing? For example, do you have a recipe which could be mixed, formed into bars, and then left in the sun to form and firm up “cook”, and then be wrapped and stored for later?

What is the shelf life of your bars, as described in the recipe above, and what is your recommended method of packaging for long term storage, as in an emergency food in a disaster???

I have a lot of questions about this for a very good cause I’m working on. Any chance we can take this off-line in email and you can post what you like here on your blog/site?

I think you could try applesauce as a substitute for the bananas. (I am guessing)that somewhere between 1/2 and 3/4 cup applesauce would be equivalent to 1-1/2 bananas. Perhaps another reader could help with this. Thanks for your comment!!

Hi Kevin,
So glad I stumbled onto your website today!
The neighborhood kids are gonna love me tomorrow, bcuz I’m going to make these SUPERSIZE bars right now! I will pass your site along to my friends also Kevin.It is a very good one. Thanks,
AKA: FassstForward

@Gareth: thanks for the suggestion; I’ll have to try it. From a strict numbers standpoint, corn syrup and maple syrup are quite similar nutritionally. From a health standpoint, maple would be better, no doubt. I did find this site this morning, and the author addresses substituting maple syrup for granulated sugar: http://url.ie/lpn Perhaps I’ll try a half batch with real maple syrup. Thx again.

@Norma: thanks for your kind words! You’ve started my day with a smile on my face… I really appreciate the feedback!!

“Bars” are appealing so you can eat them on the run. But I am slightly more interested in “baggy foods” you can take on an airline and eat with a spoon or your fingers. I can deal with one airline meal on a cross-continental trip, but 3, 4, or 5 meals on a transpacific to SE Asia flight REALLY puts me a strange combination of queasy, overfull, and hungry. I think a lot of your ingredients are designed to “glue” the basic oats together, and wonder if would be possible, as a minimalist, to skip those ingredients and skip the baking too.

I have tried eating plain, uncooked oatmeal, both the “old fashioned” and “quick cook” versions, and amazingly enough they are both palatable and digestible (“oat meal” is already partially cooked, compared to oats in their raw form – compare to “steel cut oats” at markets). Although you need to take in a lot of water, or you get dehydrated from the dry oats. Just so your reader’s don’t gag, I mix the oats with dried cranberries or dates when I try this (all you need is a round tub of old fashioned organic oatmeal from Trader Joes, and some of their fruit pieces from the nut’s ‘n fruits aisle).

Do you think I could just drop some uncooked “old fashioned” oatmeal flakes, protein powder, some chopped up nuts and dates, and a teaspoon of healthy oil into a baggie, mush it round, seal it and eat it later? Your use of oil and protein powder made me think those are the missing ingredients for a nutritious travel meal.

Since my “cooking” skills are limited to whining at my wife or opening a can of beans (whole pintos, Trader Joes’ organic) and adding some fish sauce for flavor, I’m lobbing this question at you first for your opinion before I start chopping dates and blending ingredients.

I made these with agave nectar and a batch with honey, both were really really good! I also substituted the egg whites with fake egg from Whole Foods. I added in 4 different nuts, raisins and cranberries. I also mashed a peach with the banana, and used chocolate soy protein. These bars are sooooo good!

So glad to hear that it worked well with agave nectar! I tried a batch today with 3/8 cup lt. corn syrup and 3/8 cup honey, and they turned out great. Check back Tuesday – I’m posting a brief follow-up post and will mention the variations you’ve tried. Happy that you’re pleased with the results!

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I’ve tried this recipe twice and in the last batch I stumbled into a mini muffin try when looking for the cookie sheet. After a quick eyeball measurement I thought “This might work” and loaded the mix into the mini muffin tray.

I have to say I prefer the mini muffin version much more than the large bar version. Cooking seems more uniform and the portion is easier to manage. I threw in three with my lunch and can just eat one for a quick snack instead of breaking up a bar. I have not worked out with them but my guess is it would be much easier to manage as a mini muffin there as well. I do have a long run this weekend so maybe I will try that.

Anyway, just thought I’d suggest the mini muffin tray as an option. I forget the exact size and how many were in the tray but I think it must be in the mid 20s or so.

Kevin,
I thought that wax paper in an oven was not recommended:
>Oven: Wax paper should not be used for most baking as it will smoke,
>however it can be used in some baking as long as the batter
>completely covers the wax paper.

Just made myself a batch. I actually made a whole, whole bunch and then thought about how long they’ll keep for and *then* I read your comment about lasting for about 2 weeks. I’ll try freezing some and giving a bunch away. Thanks for sharing your recipe!

This recipe is very tasty and versatile! I have made a chocolate version, an “oatmeal raisin cookie” version, and a strawberry/blueberry version. The next one I’m going to try will be a pumpkin spice flavor. I’ve substituted applesauce (for banana), soy milk (for juice), and added unsweetened chocolate powder, mini chocolate chips (so my teenagers would like them), different kinds of dried fruit, different spices and flavor extracts…..the possibilies are endless! Thanks for posting this!

I’m so glad I found your website the other day. I love the basic recipe! I had no idea I could make my own energy bars. I have to agree with Dawnette, the recipe is extremely versatile and easy to modify for my boys. We love it!

Hey thanks! I had to hit my head…..a big DUH…….I have tons of okara on hand from making soy milk every week and we get tired of eating various flavors of un-meat patties made with it, so this was a great place to use a half batch. I made a few other changes and here is my revised recipe. I made a half recipe into 18 bars of approx. 40 g. each. They taste great! You notice I added some ghee. We want to eat health food but we want it to taste decadent rather than “taste like health food”. :)

How about just adding some chopped organic semi sweet chocolate chips? I get them at Kroger — their Private Selection brand. I have never seen organic mini chocolate chips, but they would be better in small bars like this. I would probably also use dried cherries because I’ve found that when making muffins a combination of cherries/walnuts/chocolate chips is fantastic. OH HECK……….just make the bars. Be sure to put grated carrots in any muffin recipe you make so you get more than a dessert “thing”.

KC, This sounds like a great place for me to start making some HomeMade Health bars. I have a question, I moved to Ukraine and I (in my current location) have been unable to locate Protein Drinks/Power, I have access to Whey and Powdered milk so I am thinking of making my own.

Do you know of a recipe or could you post the essential ingredients of the protein drink you used? It sure would help, I have been unable to find a source for DIY Protein drinks.

I look forward to trying these out even if I have to skip the Protein Drink. :)

Thanks for commenting. I used Protein Powder in the original recipe, as it is easy to find in the U.S. I think you’re on the right track; I found the following on a site called wiseGEEK:

Protein powders are made from four basic sources: whey (from milk), egg, soy and rice. Protein powders can also be a combination of one or more ingredients. These concentrated sources of protein are processed into the powdered form, to be reconstituted into liquid form as a protein shake, or mixed with fruit juice or milk.

Given this, I think you’d be just fine using whey or powdered milk. Perhaps someone else can comment on this subject! Here’s a link to the article the above quote is from:

Looks like a great recipe but what about substituting the syrup with crystaline fructose? Does anyone have any thoughts? I’m trying to avoid the highs and lows of sugar based products such as syrups/honey.

Chris: Where did you get the idea that fructose isn’t sugar? Agave is fructose, not sucrose and a few of us use it in the bars. Just go heavy on the protein and fruit content of the bars and you won’t have to worry about using “sugar”.

If you check out my revision of this recipe you will notice that I reduced the syrup from 3/4 cup to 1/3 cup and if you cook some prunes or dates with minimal water or natural juice you can most probably eliminate the syrup (sugar by any name) completely.

You can omit the banana entirely and it will turn out okay but you may need to add a splash more juice to “wet” the mixture. Another trick is to throw the oatmeal in the blender AFTER measuring it, pulverize it, and you’ll get an oatmeal cookie! (I hate when oatmeal flakes get stuck in my teeth.) I’m not very good at making bars, so I baked my batch in a 13×9 glass dish, then ran through it with a pizza cutter while it was still warm. 12 bars, no fuss! Thanks for posting this recipe!

For those that are looking for an alternative to the syrup, i’d put in some brown rice syrup. Its far less sweeter than the rest but its great for trail bars as it contains low GI complex carbs. Its actually in clif bars. I’d pass on agave nectar since it has a bad rep from its high fructose content(92%) which doesnt go too well within the body in high amounts.
Thanks for the recipe!

The type of sweetener that you use should be appropriate for your blood type. Brown rice syrup is not healthy for all blood types. Fructose is not healthy for all blood types. Honey is not healthy for all blood types. You can look up all kinds of foods to see what is good for your blood type at this link:

Thanks for commenting. To my knowledge, no. BUT: the recipe is remarkably flexible, & I have little doubt that you could successfully substitute peanut butter for one of the liquid ingredients. If you’re game, give it a try and let us know how you make out.

I tried the peanut butter(peanut only peanut butter). (I wanted to get more unsaturated fats into the recipe, they are energy bars after all). I replaced half of the syrup and the dried fruit with the peanut butter. I used brown rice syrup, and replaced the vannilla extract with raspberry extrace. My wife likes how they taste and uses them as a breakfast bar, which is great because she otherwise wont eat breakfast. I like the nutritional stats on this, but am not a huge fan of the taste.

I also want to try unsweetened chocolate in the recipe, and chocolate whey.

These are terrific! The family and co-workers love ’em! I substituted Splenda brown sugar blend as a sweetener and it worked great. I added a little more juice to moisten it. Next, I’ll give molasses a try. For a maple flavor, I also thought about using mapleine or maple extract instead of vanilla. Dried cranberries are also a killer in this. Thanks to all for the hints.

Wally – Thanks for your comment. I’m surprised you were able to use Splenda, as I thought you couldn’t bake with it. ? It apparently worked ok, though. Did your package mention that it was suitable for baking? Just curious. Thanks again!!

I guess ignorance is bliss! I wasn’t aware that Splenda couldn’t be used for baking, but they turned out great. The Splenda blends are very sweet so I used a little less than 1/4 cup of the brown sugar blend.

I just made these today. I substituted 1 of the cups of oats for 1c of flax. I omitted the syrup and instead put in two bananas and 3/4 cup of 100% dole juice. I added sunflower seeds, slivered almonds, cranberries and semi sweet choc chips. And I put in 10 scoops of protein powder. They came out great! It made 17 bars.

I actually tried your idea in the kitchen today.
I made a few substitutions according to my tastes: I left out the egg, the dates, and the (I can’t eat the things) bananas, added in a bit more juice and some applesauce to replace the missing items, used a little more protein powder, and less dry milk (to keep from wasting a packet). I also replaced the dates with raisins.

They came out rather well for a first try. I did learn that I might not want to put them in the oven with my lasagna, which was baking at a higher temperature. I was forced to pull them a little early, so they’re not quite the way I wanted them to be.

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Do you have the individual nutritional breakdown for each of the ingredients? …specifically carbs and protein. I’ve tried to look up each ingredient to possibly substitute and my numbers are not as high as yours?

I like that you save money and everything, but this honestly calls for waaay too much sugar to be considered a “healthy” snack. i make my own using only some brown sugar, and some stevia. i would recommend cutting out the syrup entirely, since there’s so much sugar in the juice, bananas and dried fruit already.

Will shop for the ingredients tomorrow–I cannot wait to try this recipe–I am glad that it does not call for a dehydrator.
If I skip the egg whites–what will hold the ingredients together?
Will it become crumbly ?

Thank you so much – I have two teenage swimmers. They need something right away after practice. I’m going to make these tomorrow using honey and applesauce since my daughter’s allergic to bananas. I’m also going to try to make them as “cookies” instead of bars since I don’t have a mini muffin pan and I think the smaller size may be edible in the middle of a practice. Can’t wait to try it!

Thanks for the recipe.
A few changes from the original recipe (which I did try and is really awesome):
I used honey and applesauce instead of bananas and syrup.
Also I used nuts and a small amount of chocolate chips instead of dates.
Someone else had posted they used mini muffin cups so I used 12 regular muffin cups.
They turned out really good and taste great. I did have to leave out the Protein powder on the last batch since I ran out.
Again, Great recipe.
Thanks for posting it.

Kevin,
Wow! What a stir you have created from your recipe! You are not only gracious enough to post your recipe, but respond to comments, suggestions, and complaints with the same patient kindness and humor.
Thanks for your post.

Thanks for your kind words. One of the neatest things about this post is the variety of modifications and improvements readers have come up with… fortunately, the basic recipe is flexible enough to support all this experimentation. It’s been fun. Thanks again…

We like to take energy bars with us on vacation. However, we have found that none travel as well as crispy energy bars. Do you have a recipe for energy bars that will travel well on international travel?

These of course don’t have any preservatives, and I can only guess how long they would last (a week and a half, perhaps?). My biggest issue is that they disappear too quickly around our home. Perhaps another reader can chime in. Sorry I can’t be more definitive!

just found your recipe. I have five small children under 8yrs who I love making muesli bars for for afternoon tea.This sounds super easy and cheap.I will be using their left over breakfast cereal with yogurt and canned fruit, Hope it works

I made cookies, mini muffins and large muffins now have to make a batch in pie tins for my husband. My 4yr old said “yum yum” 3yr old said “delicious” 1yr old said “more” so far a bit hit in our house. Im sure my 7&8 yr old girls will love it too

these were great. i took the lazy way out, and just spread the whole batter onto a baking sheet, cooked them, and THEN cut into bars. don’t mind that the sides aren’t crusty since i put them in the fridge. that’ll keep em. wont last long.

I used pumpkin instead of banana, and pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon, and ta-da, pumpkin pie power bars. Delicious. I doubled the recipe and just used 2 whole eggs, and that worked well. Chocolate protein powder wasn’t noticeably chocolaty.